South Elgin police chief retiring next month

South Elgin Police Chief Chris Merritt is doing the public safety equivalent of going out on top.

Merritt, who turned 50 in May, said he will be retiring Sept. 9 after 13 years as police chief and a total of 26 years with the department because it's time to explore new avenues, although he doesn't know which ones.

"Things are going really, really well in South Elgin. It's one of the best times we've ever hard, so it's a good time to go," he said, adding, "That will also make it a nice, smooth transition" for his successor.

Merrit has been a strong leader, Village President Steve Ward said. "Chris really is an asset. He followed a really well-traveled path by (former) Chief (Larry) Jones. He did a really good job and basically took the department even forward."

The village first will solicit in-house applications for the post, Ward said. "We would like to see who's interested and then we will have to assess that." Merritt's annual salary is $137,862.

South Elgin, whose population is about 22,000, hasn't had a murder since 1999, when a 3-year-old boy was beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend.

The vast majority of reported crimes are nonviolent, with 255 thefts and 20 burglaries in 2015, plus 17 aggravated assaults/batteries, two robberies, two vehicles thefts and two rapes, police data shows. "Thankfully, so far our town has shown to have not many violent crimes or extremely violent crimes," Merritt said.

Police continue to investigate the disappearance of teenager Kianna Galvin, who went missing in early May, Merritt said. "Nothing has come up new. We continue to follow up on any leads as they come, but there's not a lot there right now."

Otherwise, Merritt credits "the people" of South Elgin for its success. "The men and women that work here. They work hard and they always give it their best effort. They address the issues that come up - and they address it effectively," he said.

A native of suburban Cleveland, Merritt graduated from The Ohio State University and worked for about a month as a community service officer in Naperville before being hired in South Elgin.

Merritt insisted he has no plans yet for his future. For now, he wants to spend more time with friends and family - his daughter, two grandchildren and their father live with him - travel and take more trips on his Harley-Davidson.

Recent controversy regarding policing across the country has taken a toll but has nothing to do with his retirement, Merritt said.

"Police officers are being held to a higher and higher standard. Some people are treated unfairly in the paper or in the media no matter what, depending on the story," he said. "Our industry is evolving. That change and that scrutiny, yes, makes it difficult to be a police officer, but I think in the long run it will make us a better industry."